Patriots have 14 pending free agents heading into 2026 offseason

With their loss in Super Bowl LX the New England Patriots are on to the offseason. One of the first major player personnel steps of the offseason will be dealing with their internal free agents.

This will be a relatively lighter year for the Patriots in that regard. The team has just 14 pending free agents, with only seven unrestricted free agents (UFAs). There are also five restricted free agents (RFAs), and three exclusive-rights free agents (ERFAs).

Teams have until noon on Monday, March 9 to negotiate exclusively with their own internal free agents. At that point the legal tampering window opens, and players can speak with all 32 NFL teams. Prior to the March 9 deadline, players can re-sign with their own teams at any point.

Restricted free agents are players with three years of service time on expiring contracts. Teams can sign them to a tender ahead of the start of free agency. After that they are still allowed to negotiate with their own team as well as others, but the original team has the right of first refusal to match any agreed upon contract. Players who do not receive a tender become unrestricted free agents.

If the team declines to match, it can get draft compensation depending on the level of tender. OverTheCap.com projects the first-round tender at $7.9 million this year, the second-round tender at $5.6 million, and the basic right of first refusal tender at $3.5 million.

Exclusive-rights free agents are players with under three years of service. Teams can tender them on a one-year, league-minimum contract. If they do, then the player returns on that deal with no further negotiation. If they don’t tender those players, they become unrestricted free agents.

Let’s get to the Patriots’ pending free agents, starting with the UFAs…

-TE Austin Hooper
-OT Vederian Lowe
-OT Thayer Munford
-DT Khyiris Tonga
-LB K’Lavon Chaisson
-S Jaylinn Hawkins

The big names in this group are on defense. K’Lavon Chaisson and Jaylinn Hawkins played starting roles this year, and Khyiris Tonga was a key rotational player.

Chaisson is probably the most consequential of the three. He plays a premium position, and at 26 years old has been playing on an upward trajectory the past two seasons including a career-high 7.5 sacks this past season.

Overall, the Patriots’ pass rush did not play up to expectations this year especially on the edge. It’s a group that the team needs to address this offseason, but will that involve building on Chaisson’s promising 2025 or looking for improvements across the board? It’s worth noting this is expected to be a good year for edge rushers, both in the free agency/trade market and the draft.

Hawkins played 82.2% of the Patriots’ defensive snaps this year, the third most behind Craig Woodson and Carlton Davis, and led the team in the regular season with four interceptions. He’s a strong candidate to bring back but heading into his age-29 season will probably be looking to cash in on his last big contract.

Then there’s Tonga, who was one of the big surprises of 2025 and the free agent that arguably performed most above expectations. In addition to being a run stopper, his pass rush game improved to the point he was used in three-down situations. He slotted into a pretty unique role, but is entering his age-30 season and missed time with multiple injuries in 2025.

On offense, Austin Hooper showed good chemistry with Drake Maye this year and could be a candidate for an extension that likely wouldn’t be a major financial commitment. However, he also plays a position the Patriots could look to upgrade and get younger at, whether it be in free agency or the draft. Both avenues are expected to have strong tight end talent this spring.

Up front, Vederian Lowe held his own as the Patriots’ backup left tackle. He’s a fit in that role. That being said, even backup left tackles tend to get paid. For instance, Jaylon Moore got a two-year, $30 million dollar deal from the Chiefs in free agency last offseason despite having just 12 NFL starts over his first four seasons. Even with that contract, the Chiefs made him a backup by drafting another tackle in the first round. Lowe might not get that kind of money, but his market could end up being bigger than most expect.

-QB Tommy DeVito
-OT Yasir Durant
-DT Jaquelin Roy
-LB Jack Gibbens
-CB Alex Austin

Jack Gibbens played a good rotational and special teams role for the Patriots this year, and stepped up when Robert Spillane missed time late in the season. He’s a candidate for a tender. So is Alex Austin, who was the Patriots’ third outside corner before he got hurt late in the year.

Tommy DeVito is a tougher estimate. Quarterback depth is important, but how much does the team value the third spot? He could also be a candidate to get signed to an offer sheet on a right of first refusal tender.

Yair Durant and Jaquelin Roy both spent the season on IR. The team could likely retain them without a tender if they want to keep them around for next year.

-RB Deneric Prince
-FB Jack Westover
-DL Isaiah Iton

The Patriots can keep all three of these players for the league minimum. Typically teams take advantage of that opportunity. However it is worth noting that Prince and Iton finished the year on IR, so their return could be dependent on health.

In addition to re-signing their pending free agents, the Patriots also have the opportunity to re-sign the players on their practice squad. This can be done via ‘futures contracts,’ which are typically league-minimum deals that don’t officially kick in until the New League Year in March when the roster limit expands from 53 to 90. That allows teams to keep practice squad players without having to trim the roster before the limit expands. Only players who were not on an active roster at the end of the season are eligible for futures contracts. Those are typically done in the week following the end of the season.